Logistics

PBP

Of all the 1200k events offered in in the US in 2018, the Coulee Challenge is closest to what riders will experience in France in 2019. The overall amount of climbing is about the same as PBP. The Coulee ride has more overall climbs, some of them steep, but a good part of the course is rolling hills on quiet roads, very similar to Western France. The road surface quality of the Coulee Challenge is very good to excellent, similar to PBP roads.

Riders that complete the Coulee Challenge in 2018 will be well prepared for PBP in 2019.

As part of the pre-ride activities, there will be two PBP based seminars on the Sunday before the ride. One session will be a History of PBP, including how randonneuring evolved in the US because of the PBP event. The second session will be a panel presentation and discussion with a number experienced randonneurs discussing various aspects of preparing and riding the PBP event and Q&A time. These will be very interesting sessions for both first time and experienced PBP riders.